In the early years, at least through sophomore year, appearance is a very big deal. The cute sorority girl will get a lot more attention than the plain (whether because of inate appearance or attention to makeup, clothes, etc.) farm girl.
I attended college from 09-1985 to 05-1993. Never, ever was appearance an issue or what clothes to wear.
I was a dietetics major and the only guy in every department class. Appearances and clothes were a non-issue with my fellow diet students: projects, mid-terms, and finals were.
We had more important things to worry about: Passing classes and working enough hours to make ends meet while being a college student.
Then you had a very unusual group of classmates. I attended college in Socal from 9/75 tp 5/79. I joined a sorority and for the first two years, as
logan pointed out, for most girls/women, clothes, make-up shopping and boys were top subjects, as was "what parties were going on that week". As we progressed, school and classes became much more important, and discussion of grad school and careers came into play. Also prevalent wre discussions of marriage(many of us were engaged by our junior year) and prospective children. I did notice, as media became more intrusive, that looks seemed to matter more and more. My daughter graduated from the same university as I did, and appearance was considered way more important. You had to have "the right look" as a female, to land the glam/high power/high paying jobs. You had to have the "right look' to join the popular sororities to make the coveted social and business contacts. Even now, a professional dancer on "Dancing With The Stars" was/is being criticized on the blogs for gaining a little weight(which she looks perfectly fine with), but nobody has criticized males for the same thing.
Our culture focuses mostly on the wrapping, and not what's inside. This is true of both genders, but a stricter adherence is expected for and by the females. A case in point-it has been posted here that men should dress as the accepted norm of men, and women as women. But why is that so? Does it really matter if Joe or Jane is wearing a dress or flannel shirts? Make up or no make up? Shouldn't our criteria be: Is that a good person? Am I a good person?
Yes, I like to dress up occasionally, and even wear make up, but it is content and character that is the most important.
